The reality of 'old growth' forests is not a pretty picture

Letter to the Editor:

The designation in 1990 of the northern spotted owl as an endangered species led to the 1994 “Northwest Forests Plan” which called for a drastic reduction in logging on federal forests. This moratorium on federal timber sales eventually led to closing of most of the lumber mills in the northwest, including the one in Libby that had sustained our community for nearly 100 years. This draconian measure not only decimated the lumber industry in the northwest, but also elevated the danger of forest wild fires as fuels in unmanaged forests grow alarmingly.  

Now, 20 years later, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has determined that it wasn’t logging that endangered the spotted owl after all. It turns out that the real enemy is a cousin of the spotted owl: the barred owl, which is aggressively chasing the spotted owl out of its environment toward extinction.

The controversy over the spotted owl seems to have centered on the contention by environmentalists that so called “old growth” forests are essential for the existence of the owl as well as other endangered species. Our local United States Forest Service seems to have adopted this theme by banning the cutting of logs or firewood in areas labeled “old growth”. It is my humble opinion that the old growth forest being a sanctuary for wildlife is a flawed premise. A few years ago, I hiked to Saint Paul Lake in the Cabinet Mountains. The trail to this lake goes through old growth forest the entire way. What I observed was a forest with many giant trees, but what I also observed was a complete absence of wildlife. On this hike (lasting about four hours for the round trip) I did not see a single creature. No birds, no deer, elk or bear, not so much as a squirrel or chipmunk. It is apparent that old growth forest is a sterile environment. The giant trees shade the ground to such an extent that new growth is not possible until the forest monarchs fall, are logged or are consumed by fire.

The picture of old growth forests painted by environmentalists is one of diverse populations of wildlife living in harmony with the giant trees, but in reality,  it is a forest in the process of decay; the carbon in its wood returning to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide instead of being utilized as valuable lumber products. The only living things, besides the old growth trees themselves, seems to be a wide range of fungi growing in the dank shade under the canopy of the giant trees.

— Bill Payne, Libby